Oregon 42 Apartments — Local services in Seattle

First, this review does not reflect the location, views, current on-site staff, and many of the neighbors - which are all positives to living here. It reflects how this building is being managed by ConAm, the management company, as the issues described below persist despite turnover in staff.

After three years living here, more months than not there's been an issue in the building or some billing/leasing issue with ConAm that ConAm themselves created.

Maintenance is always down a person, to the point where ConAm eliminated the maintenance position and left 100+ units to just one maintenance person (who is spectacular by the way). Ironically, Notice s to Enter are seemingly every other month for one inspection or another, but actual regular maintenance of the building is seemingly pushed out (i.e. this is the first time the windows have been washed since before the pandemic). Parking has consistently been misassigned. When we moved in, we were assigned a spot, and in the three years we've lived here it's been assigned to others or not assigned to anyone because ... And I can't believe I'm saying this in 2023: They don't have a system for assigning parking. It's been a paper map, it's been an excel spreadsheet that was lost, it's been a sign up list, but every several months there's parking drama with spots being double booked and/or a notice that you're "not registered" even though this is now the fourth time you've done so. Everytime there's a manager turnover, this happens. Two years ago, several units were being billed well in excess of $100 for sewage, and it took a few months for the issue to be corrected with ConService (ConAm's subsidiary for utility billing). The issue was resolved finally but no prorations or refunds given. About a year ago, they outsourced renters insurance verification to a third part company. We and several other residents did everything correctly, but still received notices that we hadn't. Then received notices that ConAm had provided us with the wrong instructions, which is why we received the notices (they apologized). Then, after having us resubmit insurance verification, several residents (including me) still continued to receive non-compliance notices and were even assessed fines. After several emails, screenshots, and trips to the leasing office, we finally had those fines reversed after proving we'd gone above and beyond to comply. Renewals for many residents for two years in a row were in excess of 10% and/or 20% increases each year. Our original renewal this year was approx. 23% until the market cooled and we negotiated down. Now, as of this posting, ConAm pushed a mandatory Valet Living trash service on tenants with only 48ish hour notice before putting mandatory trashcans in front of everyone's units. This service will be a $25/mo. fee, has awful reviews, and provides almost zero benefit to residents (outside of residents who may have a mobility issue). They refused to answer most written requests directly, responding to inquiries and telling residents to attend a taco bar hosted by the garbage service that was held on a weekday afternoon when most people are at work (3pm-6pm).

We'd gladly pay for onsite security instead.

It's sad, this is the first place I've renewed a lease multiple times, but it's clear that ConAm has not had and will not have any respect for loyal tennants. Instead of fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with tenants (i.e. still profitable for them), ConAm wants to instead try every angle to squeeze every bit of profit margin out of residents while not actually addressing the real headaches that both ConAm or are general for an apartment building. I suppose that's to be expected when "Con" is literally their name.

If you've made it this far in the review and feel you can deal with/look past these headaches and frustrations, know that you'll be living in a really good location with fan-freaking-tastic views, easy access to several locations and amenities, and many great...

I lived here for one year.

There's lots to like about this place - it's a new building so things are in good shape and the fixtures are all nice; great amenities - I didn't get to use the gym due to Covid, but that isn't their fault - secure building, really cool rooftop with garden, etc; management was very professional and responsive to me, 5 stars for them. Washer and dryer in all units is a big perk too, and rare for a studio.

There are a few words of caution.

The first is specifically with regards to the smallest studios, I think they are 446 square feet or something like that. Can't speak as to the larger units. The layout is nice with a screened-off area for the bedroom, and the kitchen is a nice size, but there is only one VERY SMALL window in the whole unit. It barely opens unless you unscrew the window guard, which sure, you can do that if you have no pets or small children that are going to fall out, but even then it's just not nearly enough airflow over the spring and summer months. It gets extremely hot, stuffy and suffocating.

The second thing is regarding the utility company used here, ConService. I recommend reading all ConService reviews before you chose to move into a place that uses them. My utility costs (for W/S/G, electric was paid separately) almost doubled when I moved in; my usage certainly did not double from the place I was living before. I went from paying ~$80/month to at best $130/month and at worst $160/month - for a single person who is very conscientious of their water usage. ConService replies to bad reviews saying their rates are based on current market rates for the area, but I moved from fairly close by and there's just no way there is that much of a delta. Judge for yourself.

Last but not least, when I moved out I cleaned the place very thoroughly and was still charged $125 as a general cleaning fee, on top of carpet cleaning (pretty standard). In the lease it does state that if, at owner's discretion, residents fail to adequately clean the premises, owner reserves the right to hire a professional cleaning service and residents are liable for reasonable cleaning expenses. Ok, fine. Here's the thing. My window faced the inner courtyard so I could see the goings-on in about half of the units. I saw a professional cleaning crew (they had uniforms) go into EVERY apartment that I saw someone move out of (at least 5 or 6 in my time there). I just can't believe that no one cleaned their apartments well enough to avoid the fee. It sure seems like they are just having every apartment cleaned professionally at the tenant's expense no matter what. Why not just charge a nonrefundable cleaning fee, at least that's up front? Or, if it's because of Covid, how about that be the property's business expense as it properly should be, instead of passing that on to tenants? I wish I hadn't spent literally hours scrubbing everything when they were just going to charge me anyways (I have never ever been charged extra cleaning fees when moving out before, so it's not that I'm really terrible at cleaning or anything). So be warned that "at owner's discretion" means their discretion is they're going to charge you for cleaning every time no matter what.

To recap, I wouldn't live here again unless it was in one of the larger apartments and money wasn't really an...

Oregon 42 has a lively, positive vibe. Residents are from 20-somethings to seniors. We found camaraderie with our neighbors, This is a high-end building. They keep the landscape and roof garden/deck clean and maintained. You can see Mt. Rainier and the city from the east side. From the west on the upper floors and roof deck you can see the Olympic mountains and Puget Sound. The roof deck is huge and breathtaking. You can host friends there for celebrations. Or have some alone time relaxing in the sun. There are two new commercial grade BBQs and gardening tubs for growing your own veggies or flowers. We fount the managers to be excellent at listening to our concerns and fixing any problems with our apartment.

I think the fact that Oregon42 was designed by an architecture firm that does hotels explains the huge, beautiful, welcoming lobby. It is full of light from a wall of windows, a fireplace, real plants places to sit and music.

We just moved to North Carolina to be near family. My wife and I have previously owned homes. We moved from our Beach Drive condo to Oregon 42 as a temporary place while we decided on our next plan. We ended up staying for 8 years. Why? We were surprised to discover that life was much more enjoyable being renters at Oregon42 than being property owners. No more arguments with the other unit owners over condo maintenance and budgets!

But it's not as good just renting anywhere. we heard horror stories from neighbors at Oregon 42 about their experiences living in other apartment buildings in the Junction..

I almost gave this review four stars because of problems with break-ins into the parking garage but there appears to b a spike in property crime affecting the area.

We always felt understood by the managers. I came away from discussions with the managers feeling like we are in it together. More partners than adversaries. The managers are sometimes put in a tough spot with ownership goals versus resident wishes, But we always felt that the managers have done everything possible.

We got into a time crunch approaching our move-out day. We left som unfinished work removing our modifications. We also left some things in the fridge, cupboards and closets as we exited to catch our plane. They were very reasonable, understanding and...